TREAT YOURSELF

Great short interview by the guys in Kildare Village with Alchemy and Joe’s Coffee co-founder Domini Kemp. She gives her top tips for maintaining a healthy lifestyle on the go without depriving yourself of the occasional treat!

Photo: Aidan Crawley

KILDARE VILLAGE: What is your favourite menu item from Joe's here in the Village?

DOMINI KEMP: So the thing I love about Joe's is not just the great coffee, we also have an amazing range of Alchemy cold-pressed juices as well as wheat-, diary- and sugar-free lunchboxes which are great if your following a low-carb diet.

KV: What is your top tip for healthy eating?

DK: People are always looking for the magic or the silver bullet when it comes to dieting and I think it all comes down to what suits you. For me, that means a low-carb diet, plenty of whole foods and great green vegetables such as kale and broccoli.

KV: What is your top tip for healthy eating on the go?

DK: My top tip is if you're travelling or on the go and you probably can't eat that well, I think a green juice is fantastic and also some nuts, so for me cashew and macadamia nuts are brilliant snacks to have. One of the things we have done with the upcoming range is to make sure that the nutritional information is available on the lunchboxes, so if you're interested in your carbs and protein and fats, all that information is there which is really helpful!

DK: The Burren in County Clare is a really magical place, just going for walks, the beaches, amazing food, great producers, it’s a really special place. When you go there, you just realise: “Oh my goodness, Ireland is amazing!” It really is, it’s special, it’s almost spiritual and I have to say it’s a lovely place to go for a break.

KV: And with that in mind, what tips can you give for those who don’t want to fall off the diet wagon when on holidays?

DK: It’s really hard! That’s my honest answer and I tend to not be too precious about it when I’m on holidays. Recently, I was in Galway and there was amazing sour dough bread, just ridiculously good stuff that I wouldn’t normally eat and I think a big part of living is being able to just relax and enjoy yourself, so the main thing is when you are falling off the wagon look at your portion size but also be prepared to do the work the following couple of weeks! And just don’t beat yourself up! Enjoy it, live in the moment because good food is so, so special.

KV: Finally, what are your go to, guilt-free summer treats?

DK: My idea of a healthy treat is actually a range of ice-cream which we have developed for Alchemy and it is all wheat-free, gluten-free, dairy-free and refined sugar-free and we’ve got some gorgeous toppings on it; it is served out of a “99” machine, so it is a much healthier “99”! It’s really delicious and it is a treat; obviously there is some sugar in there with bananas and dates and so on, but certainly lots of nutrients and goodness, a decadent but slightly healthier treat.